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PROCEEDINGS OF IRISH SOCIETIES. 



RoYAiv Zooi^oGiCAi, Society. 



Recent donations include a monkey from Dr. A. G. Arthur; a gull 

 from Rev. A. Tabuteau ; a Badger from T. Hayden, Esq. ; two white 

 rats from Miss Topham ; a Ring-tailed Coati from Right Hon. T. A. 

 Dickson, and a pair of doves from W. J. Williams, Esq. A Brown Bear, 

 a Chillingham Wild Heifer, a pair of Cheetahs, and a pair of Peafowl, 

 have been purchased ; a Gayal Cow has been acquired by exchange, and 

 five Lion-cubs have been recently born. 



17,060 persons visited the Gardens in April. 



Dubinin MicrOvScopicai, CIvUB. 



March i6th.— The Club met at Mr. W. Archer's. 



Section of Etirite containing Riebeckite (a blue soda-amphibole), found as 

 pebbles at Killiney, Co. Dublin, was exhibited by Prof. Col,e. This 

 rock occurs similarly in the Glacial Drift of Caernarvonshire and the 

 Isle of Man, and its probable source is the eurite with similar structure 

 that forms the mass of Ailsa Craig at the mouth of the Clyde. Riebeckite 

 is known in rocks of Socotra Island, near Aden, of Mynydd Mawr, near 

 Snowdon, and of Ailsa Craig. The abundance of the pebbles at Killiney 

 is of interest in connection with the distribution of the " drift " of the 

 Irish Channel. Prof Cole stated that he had found a pebble of the same 

 rock in the raised beach of Greenore, Co. Down. 



Preparations of a male shoot of Ephedra, showing the flowers in various 

 stages of development, were shown by Prof. T. Johnson. The structure 

 of the peculiar pollen-grains, the geographical distribution, and the re- 

 lation of Ephedra to the other Gnetacecc, and of this interesting group to 

 the other Phanerogams, were briefly explained. Ephedra had not been 

 previously found in flower by the exhibitor, who had examined, from 

 time to time, for several years past, the specimens of the genus growing in 

 the Ro3'al Botanic Gardens at Kew and at Glasnevin, The particular 

 plant from which the exhibit was taken, grows at Glasnevin, in the 

 Nursery, close to the stone wall, with southern aspect. 



Sections of a Human Kidney infected b}' micro-organisms, were shown by 

 Dr. Scott. The tubercles were seen blotched with micro-cocci, and 

 large patches of leucocytes were to be found in the neighbourhood of 

 the infected portion. 



Section of a Cancerotts Tnmotir prepared by M. Metschinkoff", and kindly 

 forwarded by him, was .shown by Dr. E. J. M'Wfkney. The slide showed 

 in a most typical manner the peculiar rounded bodies which are con- 

 tained within the protoplasm of the cancer cells, and wdiich are looked 

 upon by an influential school of pathologists as parasitic protozoa, and 

 connected in some way with the tendency to unbounded prolification 

 displayed by the cells in question. 



Fertile spechnen of Blepharostoma tricophylla was shown by Mr. D. 

 McArdIvK. This is a curious and pretty liverwort which is not like 

 any other, except B. setacea, Web., which is more common. The leaves 

 are deeply parted into three and often four setaceous-jointed segments, 

 which give the plant the appearance of a species of Algse. The specimen 

 was collected in Co. Wicklow. 



Bei^fast NaturaIv History and Phii^osophicai, Society. 

 Aprii, i8th.— The President (Prof. F1TZGERAI.D, B.A., C.E.) read a 

 paper entitled " Notes on Electric Power Supply for Tramways, at 

 Paterson, N.J." Dr. Wii,ijam CaIvWEIvIv read a paper on "The New 

 Phrenology." 



